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SW Germany & E France: Alsace+Burgundy (Pt 3 of 4)

First, Alsace - six nights, five full days - and then Burgundy for five nights, four full days. We cycled four of the days in Alsace and three in Burgundy, where the rides were shorter, but in less than ideal weather.

Strasbourg. Beautiful buildings, churches, shops, restaurants, schools and at least one university set on the Grand Ile (island) and surrounding riverbanks. Hundreds of half-timbered buildings that must be 300 to 500 years old, classic 19th century French architecture and gothic churches including the immense Notre Dame de Strasbourg.

We learned a new word here: chantier. This word was on informational signage inside Notre Dame de Strasbourg, tracing the cathedral’s history over the millennium, though we did not understand it. Later, we talked to a woman at Eglise St. Pierre Le Jeune who gave us the English translations: construction site, or work in progress. The Cathedral and the city both reflect such evolution. Notre Dame de Strasbourg bears signs of rebuilding, from early structural additions and later flying buttresses that allowed further expansion to a 19th C. astronomical clock and a 21st C. stained/painted glass window of Jesus - whose face is composed of images of 150 anonymous individual faces. In this window, Jesus is blessing the church to commemorate 1000 years since construction began. Notre Dame and other churches have been Catholic, Protestant, one then the other (and sometimes back), and even both at the same time. C’est formidable!

The streets in the Petite France district were filled with tourists, but a park area there was quiet and the canals and half timbered buildings were a delight.

We dined well. One beautiful, typically French meal at La Hache and one typically Alsatian meal at St. Sepulcre, which was recommended by the woman who had defined chantier. We enjoyed conversations about travel, work and health care with a younger couple from Berlin at the Alsatian restaurant between courses. No problem making same day reservations for dinner at each.

Alsace - somewhat through the back door - cycling from Strasbourg to (and around) Colmar. Impressions, rather than pages of detail … but with some details, too.

The Route des Vins at the foot of the Vosges mountains is lovely. The vineyards are gorgeous and, as the weather improved from cloudy and blustery to sunny and warm, the days were pretty great. The grape harvest was in full swing. We stayed in Obernai and Ribeauvillé and spent two nights in Colmar. We stopped in 11 other towns along the way - to look at half-timbered buildings and churches, for lunches at boulangeries, to visit a sorcerer’s garden, to rest and enjoy views, to stop at a couple of castles (one ruined and one restored) and for a pre-arranged wine tasting. Two decades ago, would it have been so overly cute? With so many shops, cycle tours and tourists? It is harder to find the proverbial back door in popularized areas, today. One last general comment, 20th and 21st C. growth around Alsatian towns is sometimes done nicely, but not always. And the growing towns are neither as compact, nor defined by the sharp edge between town and farm or forest lands, that was so noteworthy in Germany.

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Now, a few details.

Cycle Tour Day 1. Soon after we left Strasbourg, I received an “off-route” message that I ignored, since two years ago the app told us we were off route when we weren’t. We were on a bike path, straight along a canal. What could be better? After about 4 km I checked my screen. Perfect. Even in airplane mode we were tracking by GPS. What could be better! Except we’ve been off-route for 4 km. Back to Strasbourg to take the right path along the right canal. Our first stop was in Molsheim, where we found a boulangerie for lunch and shared a small Quiche Lorraine, followed by an eclair. More vineyards and into Obernai, our first day’s destination. WOW. Plus the sun shined more and the breeze had settled down.

Cycle Tour Day 2 - to Ribeauvillé. We rode through miles of vineyards, saw grapes being hand picked as well as mechanically picked, and rode through several towns along the way. Some cycling on roads, more on combined cycle paths and agricultural roads. From Kinzheim, we climbed into the Vosges Mountains first to Chateau Kinzheim, a ruin that houses an eagle sanctuary, and then up to Chateau Haut-Koenigsbourg, a 900-year-old, twice-destroyed castle that was “restored,” perhaps more re-imagined, by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his architect (Eberhart) as a grand castle. Long 5-mile climb by e-bike with 1670 feet of elevation gain. For those who think e-biking is not exercise, think again. Once there, we rested, enjoyed Riesling & charcuterie, and then toured the castle. The ride down through the forest, into the vineyards and valley below was exhilarating.

In Bergheim, our last town as we approached Ribeauvillé, I noticed a sign for a 14th C. church and medieval garden. This was a lovely stop, though I was doing mental gymnastics about the sorcerer’s garden next to the witch’s house just 10 meters from the church entrance. The old town in Ribeauvillé was yet another picture perfect spot with half-timbered buildings, flower boxes hanging below the windows and occasional views of hillsides, vineyards, forests and castle ruins above. We dined at La Flammerie. Without a reservation, we were limited to eating outside, but the weather was quite pleasant. Riesling, of course, and a typical Alsatian choucroute (sauerkraut) aux cinq viandes (meats, all pork), followed by a plum tart with French vanilla ice cream and chantilly. Why do when you can overdo?

For days 3 and 4, I will spare you the details of more “chocolate box” towns (Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim and Turkheim). I will say the fragrance of the grapes and the domaines, especially as we passed winery locations in towns such as Ammerschwihr and Eguisheim, was delightful. Our highlights were degustation (tasting), both at a winery and in Colmar.

On day 3, we had a reservation with Kuentz-Bas, a Domaine paired with another Domaine, Adam. Apparently there are two branches of the Adam family and in the last generation, one gave up on the family business. So, Jean-Baptiste Adam now owns both labels. And the 15th generation of his family has now grown up with the business. There seems to have been a small mix-up with our reservation, so M. Adam himself started our tasting. This is a very busy time for him, as this is the last week of the harvest and today was a good, dry, sunny day. Rain is in the next week’s forecast. At some point, M. Adam expressed concern about how tariffs are affecting the industry. As to the tastings, we started with a Cremant (sparkling wine, similar to champagne) and then a nice, light Pinot Noir. Thomas then relieved M. Adam and guided us into the whites, starting with a Sylvaner, then a Riesling, two Grand Cru Rieslings, a Grand Cru Muscatel and back to one of the Rieslings. Wonderful. We finished in the wine cellar. BTW, it looked like reservations were not necessary for the Adam tasting room.

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On our first night in Colmar we went to Au Temps d’un Verre, which a friend had recommended. We started with a Cremant and crudite with three different dips, plus duck foie gras with fig sauce. That was followed by Rieslings to accompany a light, creamy risotto, along with some soft cow’s milk cheese, P’tit Bonheur. The owner at Au Temps d’un Verre apparently knows Jean-Baptiste well and told us that he was a pioneer in organic winemaking in Alsace.

Second night dinner at Les Racines, one block outside the old city center, was quite good. Amuse bouche of melon purée plus a tiny piece of toast with a creamy white fish. Beautiful tomato, feta, melon and basil salad. Magret de Canard cooked “a point” with a lovely brown sauce, champignons and a baked peach. Our other main was a spectacular sea bream in a perfect, delicate sauce, with fennel, sweet tomatoes and fava beans. All fruits and vegetables were wonderfully fresh and flavorful.

Our walk through Colmar before and after dinner was a feast for the eyes - and so much quieter than Colmar by day. Our friend from Nantes had just emailed us a couple days earlier to check into the Journees du Patrimoine activities wherever we may be this weekend. So with that tip, we identified a solo singer/guitarist (Claire Besson) “jazz” performance on our last morning in Colmar. We enjoyed her 40 minute courtyard concert, though jazz is the last genre that comes to mind. Her repertoire had elements of classical, traditional, and flamenco. 4/4 or other regular beats. One song was in the style of Edith Piaf. To me, her open guitar tunings were reminiscent of John Fahey and Leo Kottke. My wife got hints of Eastern European traditions, but without the rhythms that those would have. Once again, no matter how much you plan, always be ready to take in the unexpected opportunity.

Later that day, after our arrival in Dijon, we chose to have dinner at a wine bar, Le Caveau de Saulx. From the street, down a steep flight of stone stairs into the cave (basement) of an 18th C. building. This was a fun, educational and beautiful wine tasting experience and we had a crudité board and a cheese board to accompany the wines we selected. I highly recommend Le Caveau!

Sunday - Wed. Dijon and cycling Burgundy in the rain. Fortunately, we learned in Puglia last year to bring rain pants and waterproof parkas. In Dijon on Sunday, thankfully we can focus on indoor activities. We spent a few hours inside the Palais des Ducs & Musee des Beaux Arts which were OK. LATE NOTE: one lovely discovery there was Sophie Fremiet Rude, a 19th century painter whose portraits were engaging and captivating and who also had a grand, sweeping painting displayed. Later, we quite enjoyed the string quartet recital that we heard in a 17th C. mansion, thanks to the Journees du Patrimoine. These were very accomplished musicians from Paris who played beautifully together. Quatuor Zaide.

Cycling. First thing Monday morning, we sought out an additional, more impermeable outer parka for my wife. The Day 1 good news is that the rain was then quite light from Dijon to Nuits St. Georges. Nice, late lunch in town and then to the hotel. As we looked out the front door we saw the light rain turn into a downpour. Phew.

We fared better on Day 2. Overcast, but scarcely any rain at all as we cycled through the vineyards of the Cote de Nuits and into Beaune. The only “issue” is that the Velo Voyageur “app” started giving directions in French, which could have been fine if the AI voice were that of a French woman, rather than an English speaker whose pronunciation was absolutely abysmal.

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We arrived in Beaune before 11 am after a short cycle from Nuits St. Georges. The Tourist Info Center (“i”) was great - in addition to maps, brochures and a knowledgeable woman who helped orient us, there was a lovely large, adjacent room with displays about geologic conditions, soils, history, “climats” (NOT climates, but the vineyards whose separate ownerships [estate/vineyard names] make up the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune portions of Bourgogne), as well as the grapes, mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, grown here. From the “i” we went on to the 12th C. Romanesque Cathedral (quite different from the Gothic), a walk though town, lunch, and the Hotel de Dieu (or Hospices de Beaune). Beaune, like Dijon, lacks that “oh so cute” look that was oh so present in the cities and towns in Alsace.

The establishment of the Hotel de Dieu well over 500 years ago as a hospital for the poor (and also for those who could pay) was an amazing gift. For over 500 years, this Hotel/Hospice/Hospital slowly grew, somewhat modernized and continued its mission. It was replaced with a modern facility only a half a century ago. In addition to the founding gifts of its original benefactor and gifts from others through the centuries, incl. Louis XIV, it is funded by sales of wine from a number of climats owned by the Hospice.

Lunch was quite nice and sights were superb. On top of that, glimpses of sunshine and blue sky appeared from time to time. Since we had a large lunch - a nice salade nicoise and brochette de boeuf followed by crème brûlée - we limited dinner to a meat and cheese charcuterie board and wine. For dessert, we’re still enjoying some of the chocolates my wife’s Ukrainian buddy gave us in Germany (see the earlier part 2 of this TR). Day 2 of our cycle tour in Bourgogne was so much better than Day 1 !!!

Beaune + Cycle Day 3. A morning in town, walking around town, on the ramparts (town walls). There was a nice little market in front of the Hotel Dieu this morning, so we picked up a little something for our neighbors. Late morning, we set out on today’s cycle ride down the velo route down the Cote de Beaune, through Pommard, Meursault, where we stopped for lunch, and finally to our wine degustation in Chassagne-Montrachet.

The experience at Bader-Mimeur was excellent. Nathalie and her brother own and operate the Domaine with the help of just two others. They produce about 70,000 bottles from 8 hectares (20 acres) of vineyards, some adjacent to the winery and others in two or three other locations, all within just 2 km. Grapes are all hand picked, brought directly to the winery and crushed within a day. Their wines are both “village” and Premier Cru. What seems to be one of her favorite Chardonnay vineyards, a village vineyard, must be as close as 15 meters from a Grand Cru vineyard; the corners of the two vineyards are separated by just about five rows of vines. We toured and learned about viticulture and wine making. We tasted four Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs. The Chardonnays age well and should be fine eight to ten years from harvest. 15 years for the Pinot Noirs. The Bader-Mimeur Chards ranged from fairly light and crisp to more full bodied - opulent was Nathalie’s word. The Pinot Noir was a tad lighter than other Burgundy reds that I’ve had in recent days, more like what I am used to from California and Oregon.

As we rode back to Beaune, patches of sunshine through the heavy clouds made for beautiful greens in the fields and a glow off Meursault’s church tower and other buildings. Tomorrow we leave for Lyon, then to Paris to wrap up our month.

If you missed Parts 1 and 2 …

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sw-germany-and-e-france-part-1-of-4

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sw-germany-and-e-france-swabia-bf-part-2-of-4

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Glad to see you had a good trip. I know you were a long time planning this. This section has added to my list, so thanks!